Fatal Roller Coaster Accident at Japan's Expoland

[RollerC]

I wonder if this will effect the two Togos at the KD and CW. I just noticed that both of those also have railings throughout the whole ride.

[robbalvey]

I've just organized the photos and added a video to page 1.

 

--Robb

[FlyingScooter]

Sad news, indeed.

Best wishes for all effected by this.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

Sad, my deepest sympathies go out to the families.

 

 

One question, when Steel Dragon lost its wheel did it kill any one?

[robbalvey]

One question, when Steel Dragon lost its wheel did it kill any one?

No. A serious injury, but no deaths.

 

--Robb

[carolinacaniac]

Anyone know how old the woman was or if shehad any children? I couldn't imagine how much it would effect a child's ability to get on a ride if their mom or any other relative was killed from it. Even if it doesn't mean much, my best hopes and prayers go to the family of the woman.

[GMAN962]

That's really horrible...I couldn't imagine riding a coaster, then turning on your side, and slamming at 47 MPH into a guardrails off to the side.

 

In other news, this has shown up on Digg...and I think I've heard a story of TPR crashing because of that site...

Hopefully I won't get too popular...but it hopefully SHOULD be fine if it does.

 

-Mike "Eh, maybe I'm being paranoid." J

[Thrillrider15]

Woah! This is freaky. Although I'm almost positive the reason it crashed is nothing similar of the crash on Wild Thing. It seems as though something came loose.

 

Terrible tragedy.

[stormrider]

Ugh, it's painful to imagine seeing the walkway coming up ahead and then slamming into it. With the problems on Windjammer and the roughness of Manhattan Express, there obviously is "something" with the engineering of some of TOGO's rides, I think. But this one may have been an maintenance issue as well, like on Big Thunder Mountain. It's just too easy to pick on TOGO though.

[FLIPDUDE]

Warning: Rant

 

I'm sorry but the replies to these kind of topics seem less and less sensitive each time somehting likethis happens. I went over the first page and last page, didn't see so much as one comment saying "poor woman" or showing any compassion to her or the other riders.

 

This is a horrible tragic accident. I wish her and all involved nothing but the best.

 

 

If you look at one of those pictures you can see a woman who was right behind the derailed car, and she looks traumatized. I honestly don't understand how %90 of the discussion is about the amount of coaster accidents recently, how this effects the rideability of amusement park rides to her children, how this effects the TPR trip or any such thing. Sure these things can be adressed but how come I saw no sympathetic posts?

[Louise]

Very tragic, I feel for the deceased's family.

 

Anyway, this is very sad. This is about the last thing you expect to happen when you to to a park for a day of fun. Although it's obviously worse for the woman who died, imagine the horror of the other passengers on that train

 

This is all pretty crazy. Really sad. The couple in the first row of the third car really tell the story of what the scene was probably like.

 

Sad news, indeed.

Best wishes for all effected by this.

 

Sad, my deepest sympathies go out to the families.

 

Even if it doesn't mean much, my best hopes and prayers go to the family of the woman.

 

Terrible tragedy.

 

Read the whole thread before making generlisations that we're all insensitive, Flipdude. It's a coaster enthusiast site, it's natural that we're going to look at the mechanics and the business side of it, the same way as plane fans will analyse engine manufacturer reputations and the like after a flight crash. It's natural. Doesn't mean we don't all feel great sympathy for the victims and their families.

[RollerC]

Warning: Rant

 

I'm sorry but the replies to these kind of topics seem less and less sensitive each time somehting likethis happens. I went over the first page and last page, didn't see so much as one comment saying "poor woman" or showing any compassion to her or the other riders.

 

This is a horrible tragic accident. I wish her and all involved nothing but the best.

 

 

If you look at one of those pictures you can see a woman who was right behind the derailed car, and she looks traumatized. I honestly don't understand how %90 of the discussion is about the amount of coaster accidents recently, how this effects the rideability of amusement park rides to her children, how this effects the TPR trip or any such thing. Sure these things can be adressed but how come I saw no sympathetic posts?

I'm sorry. I must of missed the rule where it said that any thread relating to a coaster accident has to be 100% about sensitivity.

[stormrider]

I understand that it's a tragedy, and it really does go without saying that it is. I choose not to say "it's a tragedy, I feel sorry" because I thought it could be assumed that that's how we all feel about it. I'd be surprised if somebody thought it wasn't a tragedy. She had no control over the incident, no way to get out, and the accident itself was not caused by her. So, I think it's a given that it is a tragedy and I hope the park will find a way to repair its image and repair the ride's image as well. And peace be with the woman and her family, and I hope those who witnessed the accident aren't physchologically damaged.

[spangle]

OMG! that is awful, i have been out the counrty for a few days so have only just read about it on here.

 

i can only imagine the horror that they all felt especially the people who were next to her and behind her, like someone else said there is nothing you can do, you are strapped in and that is it.

 

 

My heart goes out to all those involved.

[robbalvey]

Warning: Rant

 

I'm sorry but the replies to these kind of topics seem less and less sensitive each time somehting likethis happens. I went over the first page and last page, didn't see so much as one comment saying "poor woman" or showing any compassion to her or the other riders.

 

This is a horrible tragic accident. I wish her and all involved nothing but the best.

 

 

If you look at one of those pictures you can see a woman who was right behind the derailed car, and she looks traumatized. I honestly don't understand how %90 of the discussion is about the amount of coaster accidents recently, how this effects the rideability of amusement park rides to her children, how this effects the TPR trip or any such thing. Sure these things can be adressed but how come I saw no sympathetic posts?

Tomi,

 

Just because YOU might look at something or handle something differently doesn't mean everyone else's outlook is wrong.

 

Please respect that the way someone else might handle a situation may be different than yours.

 

--Robb

[eskater132]

I feel really bad about this...

 

But, the good thing is that those TOGO stand ups are the only coasters that I can see tipping over like that, because the seats are topheavy because they are more vertical than the track, so, this probably won't happen on a ride with a wide train or a low train, pretty much like every other kind of coaster!

 

Also, a way to completely avoid this is to only ride inverted coasters, you'll just lose your legs...

[BDG]

Feeling sorry for the victim of an accident is normal. You don't need 50 times the same "OMG. That's sick. I feel sorry for the woman and her family." to realise that.

 

I want to know what exactly went wrong, what caused it, if it can happen to other coasters and what Togo (and other manufactuers) can do about it.

And I also want to know why is their a guardrail alongside the entire track or nearly every Japanese coaster ? Without that fence / guardrail, the woman probably wouldn't have hit her head.

[adc9787]

^ Yes. I have always wondered that myself. But just wondering, if the rail had not beed there, could the car flip completely over the edge, or would the other cars in the train stop that?

 

-Andrew

[FLIPDUDE]

I never said that the topic should be %100 about sensitivity, RollerC, I was simply saying that it bothered me that is is %0. There -is- a middle ground after all.

 

Robb, I never said everyone's opinions should be the same as mine I was simply expressing that I found it apalling to see no consideration for the people involved.

 

As for people not saying things like that because they gfigured they're obvious, I apologize, I didn't realize it. I guess it's just built up resentment from the topic about the little chinese kid that got eaten at an amusement park, where everyone not only didnt hsow compassion but even said he deserved it.

 

I apologize if I overreacted.

[thrillrideseeker]

WOW. And I thought riding roller coasters was safe... I guess my mind has been changed now. It is a rather interesting story though... How do seats "fall" off of a roller coaster?

 

~Matthew *Is so not going to stop riding roller coasters* Stout

[mr_teisco_delrey]

http://www.nhk.or.jp/news/2007/05/06/k20070506000022.html

 

 

I realize the page is in Japanese, but reading the article it said the wheel assembly failed. On the video, it shows a thrown wheel assembly. Also, park officials have a chalkboard drawing of the assembly. Just my $.02. Very sad indeed.

[BDG]

Interesting. A wheel assembly broke off...

 

And apparently, the wheel assemblies are the only things holding the cars together. There's no central axle that would've prevented the car from tilting and causing the woman to hit her head against the railing.

[mr_teisco_delrey]

IThere's no central axle that would've prevented the car from tilting and causing the woman to hit her head against the railing.

 

The Kanji read axle. Sorry about that.

[PCW FREAK]

This is absolutely horrible, but indeed interesting. I haven't heard of an accident where the actual wheel assembly broke of at the very instant where a fence was coming. A horrible coincidence i suppose.

[robbalvey]

Anyone know how to rip that video to the HD? I'd like to be able to grab it and edit out the front part of it.

 

--Robb